Point of Purchase (POP) displays are commonly used in retail environments to identify and promote merchandise. POP displays are an effective way to capture the attention of retail customers and make a particular product stand out, thereby increasing sales of that product. POP displays may be permanent or temporary, depending on the nature of the promotion. A display that will be in place for a significant amount of time is typically considered a permanent display, and may be used to promote or advertise items that are sold on a more or less ongoing basis. Because permanent displays are intended to remain in place for an extended period, permanent displays may be constructed using methods and materials that are relatively labor and cost intensive to produce a durable display.
In contrast, a POP display that is expected to have an in-store life that is more temporary, and is typically considered to be a temporary display that will be changed more frequently. Temporary displays may be used when the volume of expected sales of the merchandise being promoted is uncertain, such as when introducing a new line of products, or for seasonal products and for products associated with current vendor promotions. Because the lifespan of a temporary display is limited, it is preferable to have temporary displays that are relatively inexpensive to set up and tear down and/or change. Moreover, due to the frequency with which temporary displays are changed, temporary displays are preferably configured to be changed quickly during off hours or when the store is closed to minimize the disruption to customers. Common types of temporary displays include freestanding cardboard cutouts (i.e., “standees”) and other lightweight free-standing floor and wall displays.
To optimize the effectiveness of limited time promotions, temporary displays are often placed in high traffic areas, such as near the entrance of the store at the checkout aisles and in busy aisles. While these locations maximize exposure of the promotion to customers, they may also be in the locations where POP displays are most subject to bumping or other physical interactions with customers. Because temporary displays are designed to be quickly erected and removed, they also tend to be less robust than more permanent displays. This lack of robustness, coupled with the amount of jostling characteristic of the high traffic areas in which the displays are typically located, often results in temporary displays that have portions that are knocked over or knocked off the display or otherwise disrupted.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods that provide a robust POP display that can be quickly and easily erected and torn down or changed so that the systems and methods are suitable for use with temporary displays.